Disaster Date
by KnifeInTheCrayonBox
Summary: Hiccup has finally plucked up enough courage to ask Merida out on a date, so when she accepts, he plans the perfect night. Too bad nothing ever goes as expected for him. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

Hiccup stood outside his dad's study room, wringing his hands nervously. Usually he could come to his dad for anything, but…this was different. He knew he would be asking a lot, and he knew there was a good—an almost _certain_ —chance his dad would say no before he could even finish his sentence. But he had to try. The alternative was too embarrassing.

Clearing his throat, Hiccup stepped out from behind the doorframe and into the office. His dad glanced up, his eyes scanning over his son's appearance. "What are you all dressed up for?"

Hiccup let out a sigh. _Of course_ his dad forgot. "I'm going out with Merida tonight, remember? I told you on Monday."

Stoick's eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, right. Well, good luck." He gave a nod before turning his attention back to the laptop sitting on his desk.

"Uh, dad…I was…uh, well," Hiccup glanced down at the floor and reached up to rub the back of his neck—a nervous habit of his.

"I'm not loaning you any money, Hiccup."

"It's not that, I have some saved up. I just…" Hiccup trailed off, peeking up at his dad.

"Oh, you need some advice?" His dad closed the screen and brought a hand up to his chin, running his fingers through his beard. "Okay, well first—"

"No, I need…I don't need advice. I was wondering…" Hiccup bit down on his lip and took a deep breath. "I was wondering if I could borrow the Cadillac."

His dad's expression suddenly changed. His green eyes widened to the size of golf balls and his eyebrows shot up to his forehead. "Absolutely not—she's a classic! Besides, you have your own car."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, dad, I can't pick her up in _that_! It's a soccer-mom car!" he complained, using the term his classmates had dubbed it—mostly to make fun of him. It was a nice van—and it had been his mom's car, which meant it would always be special to him—but that didn't mean he wanted to pick up his date in it.

"It's not that bad."

"Yes, it is. I promise I'll be careful, just please let me borrow the Cadillac. I'll do whatever chores you want me to do tomorrow—and next week too!" Seeing the determined expression on his dad's face, Hiccup was sure he would have to get down on his knees and beg. "Don't you remember being a teenager?"

For some reason, that softened Stoick's expression, and Hiccup felt his spirits rise. His dad looked away, his gaze settled on the picture of Hiccup's mom that hung on the wall. "Aye, I do. I picked Valka up for our first date in that car." Leaning forward, Stoick rested his face in his hands. Finally, he let out a sigh and looked up, fixing Hiccup with an intense stare as he reached into his desk. "Do _not_ make me regret this."

Hiccup practically _leapt_ forward, eager to get the keys. Before he could touch them, Stoick pulled away, holding up a finger. "Be _careful_ with her, Hiccup. If I see any scratches or dents—"

"You won't, I promise," Hiccup assured him, holding his hands out, but Stoick wasn't done.

"And remember—the top is stuck down. I'll have to bring it into the shop on Monday."

"Yeah, got it!" Hiccup exclaimed—silently cheering his victory in his mind.

"And she doesn't have much gas left, so you might need to fill up," he said as he finally handed over the keys.

"Ok, sure. Thanks so much, dad!" Hiccup said, barley hearing his dad's words as his fingers closed around the keys.

He ran out to the garage and stared at the car in admiration—unable to believe he'd actually convinced his dad to loan it to him. It was a real beauty—a classic. He knew it had been given to his dad by his grandfather when he turned sixteen—a 1968 blue Cadillac DeVille—and he had kept it in near perfect condition. With the exception of the white leather interior and the automatic gear shift, the car looked exactly like it had when he first got it. Not that it had been _new_ when his dad got it—but still.

Hiccup got in and opened the garage door before slowly pulling out. His hands shook with nervousness as he drove down the deserted two lane road to Merida's house—and he wasn't sure whether it was because of the car, or because he was actually going out with Merida. Maybe it was a combination of both. Why wouldn't they stop shaking? He gripped the steering wheel even tighter—turning his knuckles white.

When he finally pulled up to her house he didn't even get the chance to put the car in park before she came strolling out. She wore a simple blue dress that ended a couple inches above her knees, but it still made Hiccup's heart skip a beat. The light blue material made her eyes seem even more blue than usual, and the dress seemed to hug every curve of her body. Her orange hair hung in a mess of curls around her shoulders, but it looked a bit tamer tonight—like she had taken the time to impress him.

"Nice car," she said as she opened her door and slid into the passenger's seat. He could only nod numbly before pulling out of her driveway and heading towards the restaurant. Peeking a glance over at Merida, he hoped she didn't notice how nervous he was. After crushing on her for over a year, he finally mustered up enough courage to ask her out on a date. He couldn't actually believe she said yes—to _him_. As she turned to meet his gaze, he quickly looked away and turned his eyes back to the road.

He had been lucky enough to get a date with Merida, and he wasn't about to ruin it. When she first said yes, he was stunned silent for a few moments before finally stuttering out that he would need some time to come up with the perfect date. Honestly, he hadn't been expecting her to say yes at all.

Later that day he called the number she had written down and told her he had a surprise planned. Surprisingly, she had agreed to the mysterious date. He kind of expected her to turn him down after she had a chance to think about it. But now here they were—on their way to the best restaurant in town— _The Celtic Cove_. He knew Merida was Scottish, so he figured she would probably like it there.

As soon as he pulled into a parking space he jumped out of the car in a rush to open her door—and face-planted onto the cement when he tripped over a rock. He could feel his cheeks turning red with embarrassment as he picked himself up and brushed off the dirt—mentally cursing his prosthetic leg. When he opened her door he noticed she had drawn her lips into a tight line—holding back the laugh he knew she wanted to let out. He could see it in the way her blue eyes crinkled around the edges. They had been on their date a total of ten minutes and already he had made a fool out of himself.

 _Wonderful._

He walked up to the hostess standing at the entrance and gave her his last name. She clicked a few buttons on her screen and then scanned the list from over the top of her glasses. After a moment or two she squinted and leaned in closer. Hiccup could feel uneasiness bubbling up inside the pit of his stomach. What was wrong?

"I'm sorry, there's no reservation for tonight under the name Haddock. Are you sure it wasn't made under a different name?"

"No, I'm sure it was made under my last name."

The hostess pressed her red lips into a line. "Well then I'm sorry, sir, but your name is not here."

"But that…it _has_ to be there. I called and made a reservation."

"Sir, if your name is not here, there's nothing I can do."

Hiccup drew in a deep breath. _Calm down, there has to be a logical explanation for this_.

"Can you call your manager or something? I know I made a reservation."

He could see that the woman was not happy by the deep breath she drew in, and then let out in an annoyed huff. "Sure. One moment." She walked a few feet away and spoke into a mouthpiece attached to her collar. "Yes, sir. A customer wants to speak with you…"

Turning to face Merida he bit down on his lip. "I'm so sorry about this."

She smiled and gave a shrug. "It's fine. It probably happens all the time."

After a few moments a man walked up to them, extending a hand and introducing himself as the manager. "Let's see what happened here." He walked over to the computer and typed in a few things. It only took a moment or two before he gave a nod. "Ah, I see what happened. Your reservation is for the _following_ Saturday, not this Saturday."

Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows. "No, I called on Monday and said I wanted to make a reservation for _next_ Saturday."

"Ah, yes. I remember speaking with you. I booked you for _next_ Saturday—which is what you said on the phone."

Something suddenly clicked in Hiccup's mind, making him cringe. "No, I think you misunderstood the word _next_. It means coming immediately after the present time—the _next_ free Saturday—the _next_ one coming up," Hiccup explained. "I should know, I'm in AP English."

The manager shook his head. "No, that would be _this_ Saturday. We classify _next_ as the Saturday following the nearest one."

Hiccup let out a sigh. "Okay, well I _did_ make a reservation, and maybe there was a bit of a misunderstanding on your part, but surely there's _one_ available table."

"I'm sorry, sir, but we're all booked for tonight."

"Well, how long is the wait time?"

"There is no wait time, we're overbooked as it is." Hiccup closed his eyes and raised a hand to his temple. "The good news is, your reservation for _this_ Saturday is all set—meaning this _coming_ Saturday."

Irritation sprung up inside his chest. This was supposed to be a perfect date—and he wasn't about to let anybody ruin it. "Look, I know it was a misunderstanding, but it's not really my fault that you don't understand the word _next,_ so can you just please get us a table?" His voice rose an octave or two higher as he went on.

"That's not possible, sir, and I'm going to have to ask you to leave since you are causing a disruption to the other customers."

Hiccup glared at the man. "Disruption? I'm speaking normally!"

A hand landed on his shoulder from behind. "Hey, it's fine. Let's just go eat somewhere else, okay?" He turned to look at Merida, feeling his anxiety melt away when he saw a smile on her face.

He let out a sigh and nodded, turning to give the man a dirty look before walking out. The _click-click_ of Merida's heels against the tile calmed his nerves, but he was faced with a new dilemma.

 _Now what do I do?_

He had planned on taking her out to dinner and then going to see the newest Nicholas Sparks movie—but that didn't start for another two hours. Pausing in the parking lot, he turned to look at his date. Blue eyes shone bright under the streetlamps, and seemed to glow against the light blue pattern of her dress. She was right, he could still make this work. He walked her back to his car and opened the door for her. As he started the car and pulled out, he went over a mental list of the nearest restaurants. It had to be somewhere nice, but not so nice that he would need a reservation. Okay…that didn't leave a lot of options.

As the car cruised down the street it gave a sudden lurch. What was happening? He stepped on the gas when the car started to slow, but it didn't respond. Slamming down on the gas, the car gave a small lurch forward, but after a few moments began to slow again. Turning the wheel, he managed to pull over before the car gave out completely. His eyes flickered up to the dashboard, and he immediately saw what was wrong. The gas meter was resting on the white E.

He suddenly remembered his dad's warning that the car needed more gas. Hiccup felt like banging his head against the steering wheel in that moment. Why didn't he pay more attention? He was such an _idiot_!

"What's wrong?" Merida asked, casting him a suspicious look. She probably thought he had pulled over for another reason. Well, this was going just _great_.

"The car is out of gas," he stated. Her eyes softened, but she didn't look very pleased by the information.

"Oh…" There was a tense silence.

"I think I saw a gas station a mile or two back. I'll go get some gas and be back as soon as I can."

Her eyes widened. "No, I am not sitting alone in a car by the side of a deserted road for any creeper to come across. I'm coming with you." She unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car before he could get another word in.

They walked down the road in silence, with Hiccup occasionally stealing a glance at Merida. She didn't look _too_ angry, but he knew she must be hiding it. This was probably the worst date she'd ever been on. After all, it wasn't just any guy that could make a reservation for the wrong day _and_ forget to fill up the gas tank before a big date. No, he was a special kind of mess-up—the kind girls like Merida tended to stay far away from.

They finally made it to the gas station, and as Hiccup looked around the small shop for a gas can, he noticed there was a McDonald's connected to the station. He let out a sigh. On any other day, he might eat there, but he couldn't take Merida out on a date to a fast-food joint like _McDonald's_.

He grabbed the can and paid for it, then went outside and filled it up with enough gas to get them back to the station to fill up. As soon as it was full, he went back inside to get Merida. He looked around, checking down the aisles full of junk food before he felt someone tap his shoulder. Spinning around, he found Merida standing there, holding a bag of McDonald's and wearing a big grin on her face.

"Hey, I got you a cheeseburger and some fries. Now come on, they're showing old _Digimon_ episodes on the TV in there." She raised a finger and pointed to the entrance to the fast-food part of the building. Hiccup immediately perked up.

"Really?"

"Yeah, now come on."

"I would have paid for that, you know," he said, nodding at the bag of food as he followed along after her.

"Well, with your luck it would have exploded," she joked, as she sat down and pulled out her meal. The restaurant was mostly empty except for a few truckers grabbing a late-night snack, and a group of three teenage boys crowded around a table near the TV. "Besides, but I didn't feel like waiting, so I just went ahead and ordered."

Feeling defeated, he set the gas can down on the chair next to him and went to go wash his hands. He stood in front of the sink and splashed some water onto his face. Merida seemed to be having a nice time, so maybe he could still turn the night around. There was still the movie to look forward too—well, for _her_ to look forward to anyway. He didn't really like romance movies, but he was sure Merida would. She was a girl, and what girl _didn't_ like romance movies—especially Nicholas Sparks ones? None that he knew.

With new determination, he dried his face and hands, then walked back out. As soon as he entered the room he noticed a man standing next to the table—talking to Merida. A burning heat rose up in his chest—the beginnings of jealousy. The guy had both hands placed on the table, and was leaning forward so that he was only a few inches away from Merida. He watched for a moment and saw her give a curt nod to something he said, but her eyes remained glued to the screen. As he walked closer he caught part of what the man was saying.

"—what do you say? Do you want to hit the movies sometime?" he asked, and Hiccup felt himself freeze where he was. Merida's blue eyes snapped over to meet the stranger's and he knew what was going to happen. He _should_ have expected this.

"No. Actually, I'm here on a date, so please leave me alone." He nearly let out a laugh when she made a shooing motion with her hand. The guy looked shocked, but quickly recovered and frowned, straightening up.

"And your date took you to McDonald's? Wow, are you serious? What's the matter—he couldn't afford Wendy's?"

Merida's blue eyes filled with a fire that seemed to match the intense color of her hair as she narrowed them at him. "Look, I already said _no_ , so leave me alone."

He let out a huff and stalked back over to his friends. A sense of accomplishment filled Hiccup. After everything, Merida still wanted to finish her date with him. That was something, right? As he walked over and sat down, he briefly wondered if Merida would bring up the guy, but instead she looked up with a smile and said, "You know, I haven't seen this show in ages!"

Hiccup felt his lips curve into a grin. "Yeah, brings back memories, huh?"

They watched a couple episodes on the TV before a different show came on. It was one neither of them recognized, and they were already done with their meal, so they threw away the trash and left. Hiccup carried the heavy gas can back to the car while Merida followed along. When they finally made it back he poured the gas into the car and drove it back to the station. As he filled it up he glanced at the clock on the dash. He had about half an hour before the show started, and the cinema was about ten minutes away, so they should probably leave soon. Once the tank was full they set off for the movies.

Hiccup was feeling a bit better about their situation when he heard a sudden rumbling. _Oh please don't let that be what I think it is,_ he thought. But when had luck ever favored him? A few minutes later rain came pouring down.

* * *

 **This was just a fun little story I wanted to write down. Hope you enjoyed it so far! :)**

 **Any ideas on what will happen next?**


	2. Chapter 2

Merida let out a yelp and raised her hands above her head, trying to shield herself from the rain. Hiccup's hand instantly reached for the button to close the top…and nothing happened.

 _Oh, come on!_

He jabbed the button a few more times before remembering what his dad had already warned him about—the top was stuck down. Now he _really_ wanted to bang his head against the steering wheel. As rain flooded down, he suddenly remembered the leather upholstery.

He looked around wildly for a place to pull up under, and spotted an old abandoned parking lot. It used to belong to a Chevy dealership that went out of business a year or two ago. Now it was just a huge empty lot with a big building stuck in the middle—but there was a huge flat roof with large pillars to the right of the building, where customers used to have their car serviced. Hiccup quickly swerved into the lot and parked under the covering. He let out a sigh and looked down to see the damage.

Rain drenched not only him and Merida, but the white leather upholstery of the car. When he opened his door water came flowing out. It couldn't be a normal rainstorm. No, it just _had_ to be a _torrential_ downpour. He leaned over and opened the glove compartment, pulling out some napkins to dry the seats.

"I'm so sorry about this," he apologized as he stood and began drying his seat. "The top doesn't work and I didn't know it was going to rain tonight."

He had been so concerned over his car that when he looked up and noticed her ruined dress and hair, he felt bad for not thinking of her sooner. Some date he was. She just gave a shrug and grabbed some napkins before drying her seat off.

"It's just a little water. It won't kill me," she said, offering him a smile.

 _I really don't deserve her. All I've done so far is screw up our date and she's being so cool about it,_ Hiccup thought glumly.

"No, but this date was supposed to be special, and all I've done so far is ruin everything," he said, lowering his gaze. _Just shut up and stop reminding her of why she shouldn't go out with you ever again,_ he thought harshly.

"You haven't ruined everything. It's not your fault it rained."

 _No, but it's my partially my fault I got our reservation wrong, and it's my fault the car wasn't filled up and that we had to walk two miles to the nearest gas station._

They finally managed to dry off most of the seats. Hiccup pulled out the floor mats and shook them before placing them in the back seat to dry, then sat back down on the damp cushion. Until the rain stopped, they were stuck there. Indefinitely.

Merida reached forward and turned the radio on. It was the closing chords of a popular dance song, and as soon as the next song began, a huge smile lit up her face. She let out a tiny squeal of delight and jumped out of the car, running over to Hiccup's side. Throwing his door open, she grabbed both his hands and pulled him up and out of the car. He let her drag him into the dim glow of the headlights, and laughed at the excited expression on her face.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I want to dance," she stated simply, and then bit down on her lip in uncertainty. "You do know this song, don't you?"

Hiccup turned his head and listened to the music. Yeah, he knew this song. He would've had to live under a rock for the past month _not_ to know it. The tune drifting through the speakers was the most popular song on the radio—it had a light, airy melody and was called _For The Dancing And The Dreaming_. It was reminiscent of an old Celtic love song. Not only was it the most popular song, but it had an equally as popular dance to go along with it. The dance moves in the music video had become the biggest dance craze since _Gangnam Style_.

He didn't particularly like dancing since it proved to be awkward with his prosthetic leg, but when he saw the spark of fire in her eyes, he knew he would do anything she asked to keep her smiling. After the awful date so far, he would do almost anything to make it up to her. He stumbled a few times during the dance, but Merida didn't seem to notice. She just laughed it off as he spun her around—a look of pure joy on her face. When the song finally ended Merida was wrapped up in Hiccup's arms. He could feel his heart skip a beat when her smile seemed to widen.

Her hands were on his shoulders, but he felt them slide down to his chest. Bright blue eyes drifted down to his lips, and he could see a look of longing in them. After everything he had done wrong, she still wanted him? Her lips parted, and when she began to lean forward his heart didn't just skip a beat—it stalled completely. The last thing he saw was her half-lidded eyes before the sound of a siren cut through the air. They flew apart and turned to see flashing blue lights pulling into the lot.

"Oh no," he muttered. Great, _of course_ the cops would show up! He looked over at Merida to see the same worried expression on her face. Walking over to her, he grabbed her hand to reassure her.

Two cop cars pulled to a stop in front of his car and then both officers stepped out, shining their flashlights at them. "Are you aware that this is private property?" one of them asked as he walked over to them.

Hiccup's grip on her hand tightened and he took a step forward. "We didn't see any signs, sir."

The cop raised an eyebrow and pointed to a sign only a few feet away that read, "No Trespassing."

 _Oh._

"Uh…didn't see that there," Hiccup offered lamely. "It was raining and the top of my car is stuck, so I pulled under here for some shelter."

"I'll need to see some license and registration, and we're gonna need to search your car and person for any illegal substances," the officer said as the other one stepped up next to him.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at the request. Did it look like they had been using any illegal substances? But he figured it was just routine, and wasn't about to argue with an officer. He walked over to the car and reached into the compartment, pulling out the necessary papers.

As he walked back over to the policemen he realized one of them had walked up to Merida. "Please place your hands on the car so I can search you."

Merida looked scared, and crossed her arms over her chest as she took a step back. "I don't have any drugs on me, but you can check the car."

The officer took a step forward and her eyes widened. Hiccup felt anger kindle in the pit of his stomach. Did he have to scare her like that? Here she was, in the middle of nowhere, and he was asking to pat her down. Of course she didn't want to comply. What could she be hiding on her anyway? She was wearing a form-fitting dress without pockets, for goodness sake!

He grabbed her arm and she jerked away, narrowing her eyes at him. "No, _don't_ touch me!"

"Ma'am, I need to search you." He gave her wrist a yank and she stumbled forward.

"You don't need to do that," Hiccup said, walking over, but the other cop stopped him.

"Sir, stay where you are," he ordered, but when Hiccup saw the way her hands shook—and the way she tried to cover it up to appear brave—he pushed past him and rushed over to her, throwing himself between her and the officer.

"Please, sir, just look at her. Does she look like she has any drugs on her? I mean, where would she fit them? Check me, I don't care, and go ahead and check the car," Hiccup begged the officer. Suddenly he felt a hand grab his wrist and yank him away. Before he could even process what was happening he felt metal cuffs snap around his wrists before being dragged over to the cop car. He watched helplessly as the officer stared at Merida, who still had both arms crossed over her chest.

The policeman seemed to have a change of heart, because he nodded at his friend, who shoved Hiccup into the car before walking back over to Merida. He put her in handcuffs before walking her over to the cop car and helping her inside. Once she had settled down on the seat, he slammed the door. Hiccup watched as the officers searched his car, wondering what would happen next.

Would they be arrested? Would they have to spend the night in a jail cell? Oh man, he was _so_ dead when he got home. Not only would _his_ dad kill him, but he was sure Merida's dad would too—since he was the one who got her into this situation in the first place! Well, there went his future! He was pretty sure getting arrested would ruin his chances of getting into a good college.

"Thank you…for what you did back there," Merida said quietly, and he turned to see her gazing at him with admiration in his eyes. "I didn't need any help..but thanks." Suddenly every fear he had didn't seem so daunting.

He felt a blush creep across his cheeks. "It was nothing."

Glancing away, he tried to calm his fried nerves. First the car ran out of gas, and now this? Wow, and he thought getting caught in the rain was bad! Could this day get any worse?

 _No, I take that back!_ Hiccup instantly thought, not daring to jinx it. It was silent for a few moments except for the muffled voice of the officers and the CB radio on the dash. He heard the chatter of other cops talking to each other and dispatchers over the airwaves.

"I've never been in the back of a cop car before," Merida said suddenly, and he turned to give her a questioning look. When he met her gaze, he felt his breath stall in his throat.

There, right in that moment, there was just something about the way the blue lights shone against her pale blue eyes—bringing out a look of independence and freedom in them. He loved the way the flashing red lights illuminated her hair—making it look like a fiery red halo around her head. When she tilted her head to the side and bit down on her lip, Hiccup felt himself practically melt under her gaze. How was it they could be sitting in the back of a cop car—after having the worst date in the history of all dates—and yet he found himself falling even deeper in love with the woman sitting next to him? It was crazy.

Suddenly the look in her eyes shifted to amusement and the corners of her lips twitched up. As the moments dragged on she began to chuckle, and at the sound Hiccup found _himself_ start to laugh. Soon, they had dissolved into a fit of laughter. Merida leaned over and buried her face into his shoulder as her body shook from giggling. Why was it so funny? He had no clue. All he knew was that _this,_ right here, was the happiest he had felt in a _long_ time. After a while the laughter died down and Hiccup felt his spirits rise even more when Merida slid even closer and buried her nose deeper into his shoulder. He wished more than anything he could put an arm around her, but his hands were currently stuck behind his back.

"I've never been on a date like this before," she whispered after a few moments.

All the happiness he had been feeling suddenly washed away. What he wouldn't give to read her mind right now—be able to tell what was thinking. First she had been laughing, and now she was basically saying this was the worst date she'd been on—all while snuggling up against him. Maybe she was just scared. Yeah, that had to be it. After what felt like an eternity the cops finally opened the door and pulled them out.

"We're letting you go with a warning this time, but I don't want to see you here again. Got it?" he asked as he unlocked the handcuffs.

"Yes, sir," Hiccup answered. As soon as Hiccup's hands were free he began rubbing his sore wrists. Man, those things had been _tight_. But his pain instantly took a backseat when he saw Merida rubbing her wrists after being released. He rushed over to her and grabbed both hands gently in his.

"Hey, are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine," she said. Hiccup glanced over at the officers, who had returned to their car and were now waiting to make sure they left the lot. He gave a nod and walked over to his car. They both got in and Hiccup was glad to finally get out of there. At least the rain had stopped.

As he drove down the road he glanced at the clock and realized their movie had started twenty minutes ago. Well, there went the only part of their date he hadn't ruined yet. Now it was official—he had ruined _every single thing_ he planned for their date. Merida would never go out with him again after this. Things had gone bad earlier, but right before the cops showed up they had been getting better. He was so sure she had been about to kiss him before they were caught. Well, any hope of that now was completely gone. She would never want to kiss him after this, let alone give him a second chance.

"Well, I wanted to take you to a movie, but it started a while ago, so…I guess I'll just take you home," he said. "I'm really sorry about tonight. Everything turned out horrible and I…I'm sorry. You deserve better."

"Pull over," she suddenly demanded, and Hiccup felt his spirits drop even more. Okay, maybe it had been a terrible date so far, but couldn't she at least let him drive her home? They were only a few minutes away from her house.

He swallowed thickly. "I know I screwed up, but at least let me drive you home. You don't have to walk—" he began in a near whisper, but she interrupted him.

" _Pull. Over,_ " she said, this time harsher. He complied, but made up his mind that he would follow her home in his car if he had to. There was no way he was leaving her by the side of the road, no matter how much she insisted on it.

As soon as the car came to a stop he expected to hear the slamming of the car door. When it didn't come he looked up to see Merida sliding across the white leather seat towards him. Wait, what was she doing? Then she closed her eyes and leaned forward, pressing her lips against his.

He felt every muscle in his body freeze, but at the same time a warmth spread all over him. When she moved closer, deepening the kiss, he just about came undone. Reaching a hand up, he tangled his fingers in her curls, feeling the dampness of the rain in them. He felt her hand trail down his chest, sending a shudder through his body. When she finally pulled away he felt like he would never breathe again. All air was lost—as well as the ability to remember _how_ to breathe.

"Stop doubting yourself so much, Hiccup. You're wonderful."

"You mean, you're not mad?" he asked hesitantly, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. Why was she not mad?

She let out a laugh. "Of course not! This is the best date I've ever been on!"

Hiccup was sure his mouth dropped open at that. "But…how? I made the reservation for the wrong day, I ran out of gas, we got rained on, and then we almost got arrested by the cops!"

"Well, yeah—but wasn't it fun?" She bit down on her lip in excitement. "Look, here's the thing, most guys who ask me out take me to a really expensive restaurant, then some sappy, cliché romantic movie that I don't even like, and then on the way home they pull over on some abandoned road and expect something in return."

Hiccup felt his cheeks heat up, and hoped she couldn't see his blush in the dark. He had been planning on doing that exact thing—well, minus the pulling-over-and-expecting-something-in-return part.

"So…you don't like eating at a fancy restaurant or watching romantic movies?" Hiccup asked, furrowing his eyebrows. If she didn't like any of those things, then what _did_ she like?

Merida shrugged. "I'm not really a wine-and-dine kind of girl, and I can't _stand_ cheesy romantic movies—they make me sick." Hiccup let out a small laugh at her blunt honesty. "I'd prefer to be riding my horse or spending a night watching the stars in a field—something like that."

Hiccup could feel his smile growing wider. "I can do that. I mean, I love riding horses, and I can take you to a field to watch the stars! I thought going to a restaurant and watching a movie was what _you_ wanted."

Merida gave him a grin. "I knew there was something different about you—but in a good way. That's why I said yes, Hiccup. Well, that and always I thought you were really cute." Okay, now his _whole_ face felt like it was on fire. She ducked her head, and even in the dim light, he could see her cheeks turning red as well. "I guess I have a thing for green eyes and freckles."

"So, if you're not mad then why did you ask me to pull over?" he asked, completely at a loss.

She blushed again. "I've been wanting to kiss you ever since we left McDonald's."

He let out a surprised laugh. All this time he'd been doubting himself and thinking that there was no way she could like him—when he was what she had wanted all along! So maybe this date wasn't a disaster after all. It had turned out perfect. Feeling a rush of courage, he leaned forward and joined their lips again. She let out a content little sigh that make his stomach do flips. When he finally pulled away he was overjoyed to see a silly grin on her face as well.

"Do you want to go out again?"

She gave a laugh. "Yes, Hiccup. I want to go out again, if it wasn't already obvious." She gave him a playful look. "But maybe next time let's try to avoid getting detained by the cops."

* * *

 **Well, here it is** — **part two. I planned on having it out a couple weeks ago, but it underwent some changes, and now it's finished! Hope you guys enjoyed! :)**


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